Baltimore Gas & Electric has recruited approximately 2,000 out-of-state linemen and support workers to join "thousands" of the utilities company's employees to assist in restoring electric service following Hurricane Sandy, according to a news release.

The crews are currently setting up at operation sites across the state, the release said. BGE officials say the workers will work "around-the-clock" to restore electic service following power outages as soon as it's safe to do so.

The workers are arriving from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, officials said.

On Friday, Jeannette M. Mills, BGE's vice president of customer operations and chief customer officer, urged customers to take a proactive approach and plan for anticipated outages caused by the storms in a letter to the editor. 

Governor Martin O'Malley has declared a state of emergency in response to storm reports.